"As much as you want to just go case-by-case and list each guy, what his deal is, there is some of that, no question," Belichick said. "But at the same time, when you're trying to put together a team, you've got to look at the entire team before you just say, 'OK, well, we want to try to keep this guy." The Patriots have gone out of their way not to commit to Welker long-term after he first became an unrestricted free agent last offseason, and remain in no hurry to butter up a player who's caught an astounding 672 passes in 93 games in a Pats uniform. Welker would be due $11.4 million if franchise tagged for the second straight year, so the open market is looking like his most likely destination.